New Scientist Breaking News - GM pea causes allergic damage in mice: "He adds that slight differences in protein synthesis might also occur in other plants with other genes, meaning each new GM food should be very carefully evaluated for potential health effects. “If a GM plant is to go up for human consumption, there should be a detailed descriptive list of how one should go about analysing that plant,” he says.

Tager agrees. It is rare for an investigation of the potential health effects of a GM product to be published in a peer-reviewed journal, he adds. “If it had been a private company doing this, it might never have seen the light of day,” he says."

Once again, of course theoretically speaking genetic modification of plants, humans, etc. COULD be perfectly safe and beneficial. But we all know that theory and reality are two very different things. Should we continue to leave the safety of our food supply in the hands of private companies?

So Iraq Was About the Oil: "Wilkerson made clear that what made Iraq such a strategic concern was the oil.

“We consume 60 percent of the world’s resources,” he said. “We have an economy and we have a society that is built on the consumption of those resources. We better get fast at work changing the foundation – and I don’t see us fast at work on that, by the way, another failure of this administration, in my mind – or we better be ready to take those assets (in the Middle East).

“If you want those resources and you want (Middle Eastern) governments that aren’t inimical to your interests with regard to those resources, then you better pay attention to the area and you better not leave it in a mess.”

So, it appears those Iraq “blood-for-oil” accusations were right all along, at least in identifying one of the real reasons for invading Iraq. The present danger, however, is that U.S. policy-makers have no better solution to the quagmire in Iraq than continuing indefinitely to barter more blood for a continued supply of oil."

There is only one solution to any problem with these people, and it involves other people risking their lives. I don't see a way out of our leadership problem. Hard, hard times appear ahead.

The six Star Wars films form the greatest postmodern art film ever made (kottke.org): "Aidan Wasley argues that taken collectively, the six Star Wars films form the greatest postmodern art film ever made."

Mr. Kottke has not provided a comments area for this link and probably with good reason since this would be one huge-ass thread. I don't want to link to Slate directly because of their idiotic pop-up hell, but Mr. Wasley writes in the opening paragraphs that Star Wars is about plot and the mechanics of storytelling itself. That is far-fetched. I really don't feel it is a "meta" anything. It is about what it intends to be about and nothing more. He states that the fact that the droids C-3PO and R2-D2 end up on Tatooine is a huge coincidence and proceeds to build his argument upon that. The problem is, for all the praise Mr. Kottke gives him for attention to detail, this is NOT a coincidence. R2-D2 KNOWS where Luke is. Only C-3PO had his mind wiped at the end of episode III. They both stay with Bail Organa and Leia.

The protagonist of the whole cycle is really R2-D2.